Heart and soul and the region's small businesses
Caroline Lobsinger
Mom-and-pops. Funky. Quirky. Cool.
By whatever name and description used, the region's small businesses are the heart and south of North Idaho.
They are the first to donate, the first to volunteer. They are friends and neighbors. They coach the youth soccer or T-ball team or serve on the local city council. They are members of local civics groups and are the friendly face taking your order at a local festival or fundraiser.
Creative. Dedicated. Hard-working.
More possible descriptions of the people behind some of the best businesses in the region.
Take Steelstra Designs, a custom floral business owned and operated by Amber Steele Poelstra, who is the self-described "seeder, weeder, the deliverer, the arranger, (and) artist” of the business where a bright array of peonies and dahlias, sunflowers and phlox — more than 100 different varieties of flowers brighten the fifth of an acre where lives with her family, just waiting to be transformed into bouquets for everything from special occasions to ordinary days.
Or the magic found during the Sierra Silver Mine Tour, taking the young and the proverbial young at heart back in time. Celebrating the industry which gave Shoshone County its nickname of the Silver Valley and those with a love for history, the tour immerses visitors in the experience. Walking through the tunnels — or drifts — of an underground mine. A hardhat with lamp shining into the dark. Led by retired miners, guests get a first-hand look at what the life of a hard rock miner really looks like.
Much to the delight of hungry visitors and local employees, food trucks are booming in the region, offering rising chefs a more accessible route to a food-based business and serving up a diverse range of food to the region's hungry folks.
According to industry research firm IBISWorld, the food truck industry in the country has grown more than 13% per year on average between 2018 and 2023, with a market size of $2.2 billion last year.
Look to folks like Caylor and Cathryn Bax who recently opened up PonderPlay, an indoor play arena designed with youngsters in mind.
Bright colors adorn a two-story indoor play structure complete with rooms to investigate, a side-by-side slide, obstacles galore and a climbing wall. A ball pit filled with green, orange, red and yellow balls offers a fun place to jump or hang out.
Parents of a young child with another on the way, the couple know the value of play. However, they also recognize the challenges of living in an area where outdoor fun isn't always possible due to snow, rain, or hot days. Hence, PonderPlay … all of the fun in a climate-control area where the weather outside doesn't limit a kid's fun.
These businesses — and all of the other businesses which form the downtowns, the shopping districts and hidden-out-of-the-way gems — are North Idaho. Without their spirit, without the people behind them, this place wouldn't be so special.
Dive into this month's North Idaho Business Journal to learn a little bit more about some of these businesses — and then head out and get to know a few of them in person.
— Caroline Lobsinger, NIBJ Editor
